Talk:John Wilkes Booth/@comment-38.114.202.226-20140513154322/@comment-38.114.202.226-20140515163032

The above mentioned quote by me came from Lincoln’s inauguration speech one month before the civil war and gives his position on race. I am not a student of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and decided to see if I could find out about what you are talking about. Wow, He made a powerful statement!

From the fourth Debate with Stephen A. Douglas on September 18, 1858.

Lincoln said, “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races – that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied everything.”

How can this misrepresent his viewpoint?

The last sentence from this quote is important, please look at it again. Both Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth believed in white supremacy, but they did not hate the blacks and wished them no ill will.